FicWad

Part Six: “I won’t be told anymore, that I’ve been brought down in this storm…
…And left so far out in the cold that I can’t find my way back, my way anymore”
Part six: A tale of heartache, determination and…botox?
“Dude, you know what’s happening to me don’t you?” Duff asked as he stared at VH1, not really paying attention to it.
“Yep,” Matt answered as he munched a piece of toast, “You’re wallowing in self pity,”
“No, dude, no. See that’s where you’re wrong,” Duff turned around to face Matt, “I’m dying of a broken heart,”
“No, you’re not,” Matt insisted, handing Duff some toast, “You’re sitting around feeling sorry for yourself. Yeah ok, so Susan and Slash don’t want anything to do with you, but it could be so much worse,”
“How?” Duff asked miserably, throwing the uneaten toast in the bin.
“At least you can still see your kids,” Matt pointed out, “They’re coming around today aren’t they?”
“No, I cancelled,”
“Why?” Matt was shocked.
“I can’t let them see me like this,” Duff said simply.
“Now you’re just being ridiculous,” Matt said, enraged, “You haven’t eaten properly in days, when you did eat two nights ago, it was three peanuts. You haven’t washed in a week. It’s like you’ve completely given up on life,”
“What else can I do?” Duff asked, turning back to the TV, “The two people I care about more than anything else in the world hate my guts,”
“Well you can’t just give up,” Matt said, “You have to eat,”
Duff turned the TV up louder, indicating that the conversation was over.




Freddie sighed tiredly when the doorbell rang. He wasn’t in the mood for visitors; he just wanted to go to bed. He checked his watch as he made his way to the door, 11:00 pm he thought. Who could be calling at this time of night? And what had happened to the times when it wasn’t unusual for people to call at three or four in the morning and find Freddie up and about?
“Well you’re hitting sixty dear, you’re not as young as you used to be,” he said to himself as he answered the door. Freddie opened the door to find Brian with two suitcases
“Well,” Freddie exclaimed, “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“Anita kicked me out. I told her how I feel about you” Brian said as he pushed past Freddie, “I need somewhere to stay,”
“But…” Freddie began carefully, “I thought…that night at the party…you and Duff…”
“I thought it was Duff I wanted, but when I got into the bed with him and Slash, I realised that I was wrong,” Brian explained, “The entire time, I found myself pretending that I was kissing and fondling you. So I went home and spent the past week thinking about my feelings. Freddie I need you. I need you just as much as I’ve needed you every day since I first met you,”
Freddie answered by pulling Brian towards him and kissing him softly on the lips. They kissed for a few moments until Freddie pulled away.
“I need you too darling,” Freddie whispered.

Brian awoke the a week later to find Freddie staring in disgust at his reflection in a mirror.
“What’s the matter?” he asked sleepily.
“I’ve got grey hairs and wrinkles,” Freddie answered in disdain.
“We all do,” Brian answered wearily, “It’s called the aging process. We’re not growing any younger,”
“Yes but…” Freddie was full of disgust at his appearance. Brian got out of the bed and wrapped his arms around Freddie’s waist.
“Come back to bed,” he asked, “I’ll make you feel younger,” he whispered seductively. Freddie allowed Brian to lead him back to the bed. After a few minutes of kissing and fondling, Freddie sat up.
“Botox,” he announced.
“What are you talking about?” Brian asked, sitting up.
“I’ll get botox,” Freddie explained, “And hair dye. That will put an end to your so-called aging process,” Brian laughed. Freddie stared at him haughtily.
“And what, may I ask, is so funny about that?
“Well…its…bloody hell, are you serious?” Brian asked, not believing his ears.
“Well if it’s good enough for Madonna, it’s good enough for me,” Freddie shrugged.
“But…you…you can’t just go and get plastic surgery,” Brian spluttered.
“Why ever not?” Freddie asked, “It’s my body isn’t it?”
“Well…yes, but…you’re beautiful, you don’t need to change. You’ve barely aged at all,”
Freddie wasn’t listening. He’d pulled out the phone directory and was flicking through it.
“Darling are the plastic surgeons here any good or would I need to go to America?” he asked.
“How the bloody hell would I know?”
Freddie picked up the bedside phone and dialled a number.
“Freddie wait…” Brian started, but Freddie waved at him to be quiet.
“Hello? Yes, I’d like to find out about the treatments you provide…well, I was thinking perhaps a little botox, maybe some work on my eyes, a facelift, you know…Do you have a brochure which you could send me?” he paused to give Brian a thumbs up sign. Brian looked on in shock as Freddie gave his address and a contact number.
“My name?” Freddie asked “Brian…McKagan…M…C…K…A…G…A…N. Thank You,”
“Have you even given this any thought?” Brian asked
“Of course I’m going to think about it,” Freddie said rolling his eyes, “That’s why I’ve asked for a brochure. Now, where did I leave my clothes? I want to go to Roger’s house to use the Internet. I still haven’t got it installed here,” he explained.
“Why do you want to use the Internet?” Brian was baffled.
“To look up plastic surgeons,” Freddie answered as if it should have been obvious. “Now hurry up and get dressed. You’re driving me there,”
In the car Brian didn’t say a word, he was too busy thinking. Freddie sat beside him chatting away, oblivious to Brian’s silence.
For some reason, Brian wasn’t as happy with Freddie as he used to be. He found himself thinking about Duff. He’d gotten back with Freddie because it had felt natural at the time, like a safety net. He’d always been with Freddie throughout Queen and had never even considered meeting anyone else. Brian sighed as he pulled up outside Roger’s. He wasn’t sure what he wanted anymore.
“Listen,” he said to Freddie, “I’ll be back later,”
“Where are you going?” Freddie asked in surprise.
“I have some stuff to do,”
Freddie pouted, but seeing that Brian had his mind made up, got out of the car. Brian drove away. When he was a safe distance from Roger’s house, he dialled Duff’s number.


Meanwhile, Matt was getting worried about Duff. Apart from the fact that he wasn’t eating or sleeping, he hadn’t showered in days and was beginning to smell. He decided to phone Slash.
“Hey dude,” Slash answered.
“Listen dude, I’m worried about Duff,” Matt answered, “He needs you,”
“If he needed me, he’d have rung me himself,” Slash answered.
“I’ve asked him to but he won’t,”
“Well then,” Slash answered, “Maybe he doesn’t need me,”
“He doesn’t know what he needs. He won’t phone anyone, he won’t see his kids, this isn’t like him,” Matt said.
“Is he eating?” Slash asked.
“Nope,”
“Sleeping?”
“Nope,”
“Washing?”
“Nope,” Matt said, “Dude he won’t do anything, all he does is just sit there watching TV,”
“This happened before,” Slash answered, “Back in the 80’s. There’s nothing I can do,”
“But maybe if you just…”
“Dude,” Slash interrupted, “Why should I get involved?”
“Don’t fucking get involved!” Duff’s voice came over the extension line, “I don’t need you,”
“Dude…” Slash started.
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking,” Duff cut him off.
“Ooh don’t over do it,” Slash said sarcastically.
“And I’ve decided that I don’t need you. Or Susan,” Duff added as an afterthought.
“Well you certainly didn’t need me that night at Roger’s party, did you?” Slash asked
“Hmph” Duff grunted on the other end of the phone.
“Uhhh…maybe I should leave you guys to it,” Matt said uncomfortably.
“Is that all you’ve got to say for yourself?” Slash asked, “Hmph? You’re so fucking spineless,”
Seeing that he wasn’t going to get a response, Matt hung up.
“I am not spineless,” Duff snapped.
“Yeah? So why can’t you tell Brian to stay the fuck away from you?” Slash asked
“Well…I…I don’t…” Duff stuttered.
“That’s what I thought,” Slash said, “You’re a spineless idiot,”
“Why? Because I don’t wanna hurt him, or ruin his relationship with Freddie?” Duff demanded.
“Doesn’t wanna hurt him,” Slash muttered, “And what the fuck do you know about him and Freddie? You haven’t talked to him since the party,”
“Well, uh…that’s not exactly true,” Duff said uncomfortably.
“You’re still talking to him?” Slash demanded.
“It’s just talk, that’s all” Duff reassured him, “He called me to see if I was ok…which was more than you did. And you’re supposed to be my boyfriend,”
“Am I?” Slash asked, stumbling as Perla pushed past him, “Because it really doesn’t feel that way,”
“What?”
“You’re still in love with Brian,” Slash spoke slowly so the words would have impact, “And unless you can get over him, we can’t go any further,”
“But…” Duff started
“Sorry,” Slash hung up the phone.


Unbeknown to Slash, while he had been on the phone, his wife Perla and Susan were talking.
“I just don’t know if I can take him back,” Susan said. Perla patted her knee.
“You should try honey,” she said, “You guys are perfect together. If Slash ever done something like that, I’d try to work it out. I know I would,”
“You don’t know shit,” Susan muttered.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Perla demanded indignantly, “I’m only trying to help. Don’t be so ungrateful,”
“He’s cheating on you,” the words were out of Susan’s mouth before she could stop them, “Shit, I’m sorry. I….you weren’t supposed to hear about it this way,”
“With who?” Perla asked quietly
“Well, ummm….Duff,” Susan said, “That’s why we split,”
“Motherfucker!” Perla spat, “Susan, thank you for telling me this. You’ll have to leave now. My husband and I have some things to discuss. I’ll phone you later,” Perla left the room to go upstairs. Slash was on the phone, blocking the stairs.
“Am I?” he was saying, “Because it really doesn’t feel that way,”
Perla pushed past him and stormed up the stairs. She pulled out a suitcase from under the bed and angrily started throwing Slash’s clothes into it.
“Baby, what’s up?” Slash asked, appearing in the room behind her, “What’s going on? Are you going somewhere?”
“No,” she said as she fastened the suitcase, “You are,”
She threw the suitcase full force at him.
“Get out of this house,” she shouted.
“But baby…”Slash started,
“Don’t baby me,” she snapped, pushing him down the stairs, “I know about you and Duff. Susan told me everything. Now get out,”
“But baby it’s all over. He doesn’t want me,” Slash said desperately.
“Neither do I,” Perla said, “But your sons do, so you can visit them at the weekend. I’ll tell them you have to go to work. You can explain why Daddy isn’t living here anymore,” Perla slammed the door, leaving Slash standing on the doorstep, trying to figure out what had just happened.

Brian awoke with a jump. He lay staring sleepily into the dark trying to figure out what had woken him up and what the strange jingling sound was.
“For fuck’s sake answer that bloody phone will you?” Freddie snapped beside him. So that’s what it was. He picked it up, but it was too late, he’d missed it. He glanced at the clock. 3 AM. The phone beeped with a text message. It was from Duff:
Dude, Duff here. Sorry if I woke you
I’d like to talk to you about something
If you get the chance please ring me.
Brian glanced over at Freddie who was snoring softly and slipped out of the bed. When he was downstairs, he rang Duff.
“Hey Brian,” Duff said when he answered.
“Is everything ok?” Brian asked.
“Uhh…kind of,” Duff said vaguely.
“Spit it out,” Brian encouraged, thinking this is it. He’s going to ask for us to get back together.
“Well…” Duff hesitated before continuing, “I don’t think we should contact each other any more,”
“What?” Brian sat down, “Why?”
“Since you came back into my life, things have been really intense man. I’ve lost my boyfriend and my wife and…”
“That wasn’t my fault,” Brian protested.
“I’m not saying it was,” Duff sighed, “I’m just saying that you were involved and now I wanna get my life back together and I don’t want you in it. I’m gonna move out of Matt’s and start afresh. So…just…please don’t phone me ok? I’m sorry.”
Duff hung up and sighed. HE looked around him to make sure Matt wasn’t around. He poured out some white powder onto the table and started to chop it with his credit card. Using a small straw, he began to sniff up the cocaine. Cocaine would make everything feel good again. It always did in the past.
Brian sat staring at the phone before sighing and going back to bed.
“Who was that?” Freddie asked.
“Oh, it was just…a wrong number,” Brian lied.
“Oh,” Freddie put his arm around Brian and kissed him before going back to sleep.

Slash rang on the doorbell for the third time and tapped his foot impatiently. The door opened to reveal Axl Rose.
“Well,” he laughed in surprise, “To what do I owe this honour?”
“Perla kicked me out, I don’t wanna stay in a hotel, Weiland is a fraud and Duff is a spineless fucker,” Slash muttered. Axl grinned and opened the door wider.
“In that case, maybe you should come in,”